1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for advancing an endoscope and a method for manipulating the apparatus for advancing an endoscope. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for advancing an endoscope, having a plurality of medical instruments, each of which is provided with a fixing portion that can achieve fixation to an intestinal wall, and relates to a method for manipulating the apparatus for advancing an endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an endoscope includes a flexible portion which is an elongated tube having flexibility, a bending portion which is connected to a distal end portion of the flexible portion and can be manipulated by an operation portion for bending in the horizontal or/and vertical directions, and a rigid distal end portion which is connected to a distal end portion of the bending portion. Such an endoscope is adapted to be inserted into a body cavity anally, orally or nasally to conduct, for example, observation and diagnosis of a predetermined region, or conduct treatment while the region is observed.
However, the insertion of such a conventional endoscope into a deep digestive tract, such as a small intestine, via a large intestine has been accompanied by a difficulty. Specifically, due to the complicated bending of the intestinal tract, simply pressing the endoscope into the body cavity hardly permits transmission of a force to the end of the endoscope, and thus advancement into a deep portion has been difficult. For this reason, the technique of advancing a large intestine endoscope has required some manipulations, such as angle adjusting, twisting, pulling back and axis retaining manipulations, or has additionally required air supply and x-ray fluoroscopy, for example.
In order to facilitate the manipulations mentioned above, an endoscope having fixing balloons as described below has been suggested.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-65595 discloses a multi-stage tube with balloons, wherein two tubes are formed, each of the tubes including: a balloon portion which is provided near an end of the tube, and is inflatable/shrinkable by means of fluid; a fluid channel which is provided in a tube wall and communicates with the balloon portion; and a fluid supply device which is provided at a proximal end portion of the tube and communicates with the fluid channel.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-301019 discloses an endoscope including: an endoscope body provided with a balloon at an outer end peripheral portion thereof, for fixation of the body; and a sliding tube which is provided with a balloon for fixation of the tube at the outer end peripheral portion thereof and into which the endoscope body is inserted to guide the endoscope body.
FIGS. 29A to 29H are explanatory views illustrating a procedure for inserting into a large intestine the double-balloon type endoscope disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-65595. In the double-balloon type endoscope, the balloons 30a and 30b respectively attached to the over tube 40a and the end of the endoscope body fix the medical instrument (endoscope body) 2a and the over tube 40a to an intestine. Thus, with the procedure sequentially shown in FIGS. 29A to 29H, the balloons 30a and 30b are alternately fixed to the intestine to have an endoscope 2c advanced to the side of a deep portion. The over tube 40a then catches up with the endoscope by the amount of advancement. Reiterating these manipulations can allow the endoscope 2c to tug the intestine and reach a deep portion of the large intestine or the small intestine.